Air heating means for internal combustion engines



y 1958 R. w. RIDEL ETAL AIR HEATING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES File-'1 Feb. 27, 1956 AIR HEATING MEANS FOR ENTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGHNES Richard William Ridel and Thomas Curzon, London,

England, assignors to C. A. V. Limited, London, England Application February 27, 1956, Serial No. 568,695

1 Claim. (Cl. 158-28) This invention has for its object to provide in a simple and convenient form an air-heating means for facilitating the starting of an internal combustion engine of the kind to which the fuel is supplied by pump-injection.

An air-heating means in accordance with the invention comprises in combination an elongated and longitudinally bored body which forms a fuel supply passage, and which is adapted at one end to be attached to the air intake manifold of the engine so that liquid fuel can be supplied to the manifold through the said passage, an electrically heatable means extending from the said end of the body and adapted to be located within the manifold for efiecting vaporisation and ignition of fuel supplied thereto through the said passage, an axially movable and spring-loaded fuel controlling shuttle contained in the body, and a solenoid winding embracing the body for actuating the shuttle, the solenoid winding being electrically connected to the electrically heatable means.

The accompanying drawing is a sectional side elevation illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the construction there shown comprises an elongated metal body constructed from three coaxially arranged and longitudinally bored components a1, a2, a3, the component all being screw-threaded for engagement with a hole in one side of the air intake manifold of the engine, and the body forming a passage through which liquid fuel can be supplied to the manifold. Mounted on and embracing the component a2 is a solenoid winding 0, and within this component is contained an axially slidable shuttle 16 which at one endis loaded by a compression spring 17, the other end being provided with a sealinginsert 18 of rubber or rubber-like material. The insert 18 co-operates with a seating 18a on the adjacent end of a perforated tube 19 which is carried by the component a2 and extends through the component al, the other end of the tube being closed. One end of the spring 17 is accommodated in the component a3, and the opposite end of the spring is accommodated in a recess 16a in the adjacent end of the shuttle 16, this recess being in communication through a hole 16b with a longitudinal groove 16c in one side of the shuttle. When the solenoid is energised it can move the shuttle away from the seating in opposition to the action of the spring. The tube 19 is surrounded by a sleeve 20 which is electrically insulated 2,841,2114 Patented July 1, 1958 iQQ from the body and is connected in series with the solenoid winding. To one end of the sleeve is attached one end of a vaporising and igniting coil i adapted to be located in the air intake manifold, the other end of the coil being attached to the closed end of a perforated shield 14 secured to the component al. If necessary an electrically insulating collar 21 may be inserted between the tube 19 and the coil i.

The vaporising and igniting coil i surrounds the portion of the tube 19 extending from the component a1, and the perforations in the tube form lateral discharge ports for the fuel to be vaporised and ignited by the coil, the perforated shield 14 serving to enclose the coil and the adjacent part of the tube. Fuel is supplied by a feed pipe attached to the body component a3, and electric current is supplied by a conductor attached to the terminal socket 22 which is connected to the solenoid winding 0 and through the latter to the coil i which is electrically connected to the winding by the sleeve 20. On energising the solenoid the shuttle is moved thereby to the left, so enabling the fuel to pass to the tube 19 and thence through the coil i to the interior of the shield 14. The energising of the solenoid is also accompanied by heating of the coil i with consequent vaporisation and ignition of the fuel.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An air-heating means for facilitating the starting of an internal combustion engine to which fuel is supplied by pump injection, and which is provided with an air intake manifold, comprising in combination a body which is composed of a plurality of coaxially arranged and longitudinally bore components forming a fuel supply passage, and which is adapted at one end to be attached to the air intake manifold so that liquid fuel can be supplied to the manifold through the said passage, a laterally ported fuel discharge tube secured within and extending from the said end of the body, the end of the tube remote from the body being closed, electrically heatable means of coiled form surrounding the portion of the tube extending from the body for effecting vaporization and ignition of fuel issuing from the tube, a perforated shield attached to the said end of the body and enclosing the electrically heatable means and the adjacent portion of the tube, an axially movable and spring-loaded fuel controlling shuttle contained in the body, and a solenoid winding embracing the body for actuating the shuttle, the solenoid winding being electrically connected to the electrically heatable means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,451,434- Roesch Apr. 10, 1923 1,670,819 Morris et al May 22, 1928 2,110,222 Hammers et al Mar. 8, 1938 2,159,259 Danuser et al. May 23, 1939 2,408,673 Moorehead Oct. 1, 1946 2,648,951 McDougal Aug. 18, 1953 2,785,741 Gravers Mar. 19, 1957 

